American Council of Wedding Officiants

Who Makes The Best Wedding Officiants?

A recent survey looked at which people from various professions made the best wedding officiants and, not surprisingly, it’s those folks with the “gift of gab” that topped the list.

The “gift of gab” serves attorneys in the courtroom … and also when performing wedding ceremonies!

Out of all the “feeder” categories, radio announcers and disc jockeys were the clear-cut number one. Having to jump in with a few words before the start of a song, or having to talk off the top of your head before sending it over to the traffic report, radio people have the innate skills needed to perform marriage ceremonies.

With the shaky state of the radio industry, more and more radio personalities are lining their wallets with extra cash these days, picking up an extra $500 to $1500 each weekend by performing two, three or even four weddings! And as a “side hustle,” serving as a Wedding Officiant satisfies that need to entertain more than driving for Lyft or Uber can!

And while many radio personalities have steady shifts and regular employment, the same can’t be said for actors and actresses, who often spend more time auditioning than they do working.

Already trained to work on stage or before the camera, and to ad lib when things go off-script, serving as a minister and wedding officiant is a perfect side gig for actors — and it sure beats waiting tables and hoping for a nice tip from your customers.

In fact, several of the top marriage ministers in Southern California started out hoping to land acting jobs in TV and movies in Hollywood, and ended up occasionally performing wedding ceremonies … and now find themselves with highly-paid, steady employment that allows them to be stars on a stage in front of appreciative audiences nearly every day of the week!

The best news for actors who want to perform marriage ceremonies? You don’t have to memorize your lines, and nobody is going to complain if you work directly from your script!

Also high up on the list are attorneys. Not surprisingly, having a career that requires you to think on your feet and be prepared — or over-prepared — is a significant benefit when it comes to serving as a ceremonial minister.

Of course, attorneys make a pretty penny practicing law, so most barristers aren’t in the wedding business to earn extra dollars — most lawyers perform marriage ceremonies for friends, clients and colleagues.

Teachers, especially those in secondary education, rounded out the top three.

It appears that the same skills that help you communicate in front of a classroom full of students also comes in handy when you’re at the altar, and knowing that many teachers are scraping by from paycheck to paycheck, picking up an easy $250 to $500 for an hour’s work as a marriage minister on the weekend certainly helps to ease those financial burdens.